HOMESTEAD, Fla. — Needing only to start the season finale to secure the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship Friday night at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Matt Crafton joked about sleeping in a rental car in the infield just to make sure he didn't miss the green flag.

He was joking, of course, but there's a touch of reality beneath the comedy.

It took Crafton 13 years to arrive atop a series typically kind to the elder statesmen of NASCAR. A quick look at past truck champions reveals names like Johnny Benson, Bobby Hamilton, Ron Hornaday and Todd Bodine.

As much as the truck series is designed to elevate young talent, it's not uncommon that a 24-year-old sticks around until he's 37 to win his first championship in NASCAR's double-A series.

"It's awesome," Crafton said after finishing 21st in the Ford EcoBoost 200. "Every one of these guys who work on this car are a blessing. Each and every year we've gotten better and better."

Crafton finished 40 points ahead of his closest competitor, Ty Dillon. However, a late crash cost his team, ThorSport Racing, the owners' championship to Kyle Busch, who won the race on the third and final attempt at a green-white-checkered finish.

The two teams tied in points, but Kyle Busch Motorsports won the owners' title based most victories. While the night belonged to Busch, the season belonged to Crafton, who qualified eighth and rolled off without incident to seal his championship. While it sounded easy near the end of the season, it was anything but in the days leading up to the finale

"I figured as long as I got to the racetrack I'll be all right," Crafton said. "I've considered sleeping in a rental car out here."

Even if Crafton hadn't started the race, Dillon had to win Friday's race to steal the championship.

"I have 30 something other trucks that are going to be out there that will have my back," Crafton said. "Ty would still have to win the race if I didn't show up, so I feel all right."

Final week aside, the months leading to the championship were even more tense. Crafton battled for the points lead with Dillon and James Buescher until Crafton pulled clear with a win at Kansas Speedway to go with six other top-five finishes.

"The last six days have gone by quickly,"Crafton said. "The last two months have drug on for a long, long time. It's tough. A lot of sleepless nights. At night you wake up at 2, 3 in the morning asking, 'How can I lose this thing?'"

Instead, the native of Tulare, Calif., ran away with it during a transition year. He also extended his record for consecutive starts in the truck series to 316, a run that began in 2000.

"The first two-thirds of the season we struggled," Crafton said. "But I think we did pretty damn good with it."